Quick Facts
Biography
S. T. Somashekhar is an Indian politician.He is Minister of Co-Operation in Yeddyurappa cabinet. He was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Yeshvanthapura in the 2018 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election as a member of the Indian National Congress. He later switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party and won the by-election in 2019.
Controversies
Operation Kamala
“Operation Kamala” (hybrid word from the English Operation and the Kannada Kamala meaning "Lotus" an Election symbol of BJP.) was a term coined in 2008, when the BJP was three seats short of majority to form the government in Karnataka under B. S. Yeddyurappa. Former minister and minelord G. Janardhana Reddy worked out a method to circumvent the Anti-Defection Law and secured the support of legislators needed to take BJP past the majority mark. Opposition parties alleged that the BJP is now expanding Operation Kamala nationwide, while BJP continues to deny this allegation.
He was one of the 15 MLAs fell for Operation Kamala and resigned in July 2019, effectively bringing down the H. D. Kumaraswamy-led coalition government of Indian National Congress and Janata Dal (Secular).